New! Spektrum iX12

For all of your curiosities and questions to the iX12, join in the discussion!

TAP INTO THE POWER

The iX12 brings Spektrum™ AirWare™ software and DSMX® technology together with smart features like an Android-powered touchscreen, WiFi connectivity and more. The result is a remarkable transmitter that is easy enough for sport pilots to use yet capable enough for expert RC competitors.

Images

1. Overall, this is a game changer. It's the first radio release since the original Taranis X9D that I can really say that about. This will be extremely popular with the multirotor community in particular, as the ability to run a full android app for programming instead of a basic Lua script or 9x12 text box via SRXL changes the world there.

2. Spektrum REALLY needs to up its app game. The history of their programming apps is quite poor. That cannot continue.

3. Can we sideload? Either way, there needs to be a published, supported API for interacting with the telemetry system (for 3rd party telemetry apps) and with the external serial port.

4. That serial port? Can I or someone else write a custom protocol handler with telemetry support? If so, FrSky needs to get XST and R9S modules out with serial link support, because this just put the hurt on the Horus X10, especially in the multirotor community.

6. Any stick/knob to Android inputs? Can I write something that pushes the input of an arbitrary switch/knob out via SRXL telemetry or even a channel? Can I write an app that communicates with an arbitrary device on the aircraft via the telemetry channel? So much possibility there, especially for things like GPS Racing.

7. Can I get the Airware App for other devices. As a guy who provides a fair bit of assistance to other club members on programming, it would be amazing if I could have folks email me an SPM, open it up on my phone, fix any issues or add the bits wanted and email it back for use on the iX12 or G2 TX's. You've already written the app, now let us use it as a programming app on larger screen devices (as nice as that screen is, I'd rather work on a 5.5" or larger device when doing the programming)

Yes, the Android system can be a very big thing for this radio. I like many thing about this system and hope that they will extend the mixers and other function compared to the older style airwave. If they create the room for custom sensors then it would be perfect for me.

This looks good. I wonder about the touch screen though. As I scroll down pages on my phone I sometimes inadvertently activate something, that could be dangerous. Also I would like to see something other than black. DX12 would have been a good name, but I guess that designation may be history. I think X12 would have been nice, something about the i doesn't do it for me.

This looks good. I wonder about the touch screen though. As I scroll down pages on my phone I sometimes inadvertently activate something, that could be dangerous. Also I would like to see something other than black. DX12 would have been a good name, but I guess that designation may be history. I think X12 would have been nice, something about the i doesn't do it for me.

3. Can we sideload? Either way, there needs to be a published, supported API for interacting with the telemetry system (for 3rd party telemetry apps) and with the external serial port.

Yes. You'll be able to load anything out of Google Play.

The spec for the telemetry data service will be published eventually. It'll be rather straightforward. You may not need it, though. I finally got telemetry reporting to work the way I want it to (I didn't code it, just wrote the spec for it).

Quote:

4. That serial port? Can I or someone else write a custom protocol handler with telemetry support?

The port is connected to the protected channel processing CPU, so no, you won't have access to it.

However, it has support being developed now for multiple protocols, so it probably won't be an issue.

6. Any stick/knob to Android inputs? Can I write something that pushes the input of an arbitrary switch/knob out via SRXL telemetry or even a channel? Can I write an app that communicates with an arbitrary device on the aircraft via the telemetry channel? So much possibility there, especially for things like GPS Racing.

I don't know how many times I've told the beta testers, one question at a time!!

It's a standard Android interface. The only physical button that connects to Android is the power button, and even that is done indirectly.

The interface is purely event-driven, so events such as switch changes are reported to Android by our service, but the app is the consumer. I don't know if they will be making available those events on the service or not. It wouldn't surprise me.

The telemetry channel is incoming data, so no, you can't send the airplane anything through telemetry. Don't feel bad - nobody can, not even us. There is one forward channel, and one return channel.

Quote:

7. Can I get the Airware App for other devices. As a guy who provides a fair bit of assistance to other club members on programming, it would be amazing if I could have folks email me an SPM, open it up on my phone, fix any issues or add the bits wanted and email it back for use on the iX12 or G2 TX's. You've already written the app, now let us use it as a programming app on larger screen devices (as nice as that screen is, I'd rather work on a 5.5" or larger device when doing the programming)

That's actually how we started development. I used to have the app running on my phone (part of the reason I broke down and got a "smart" phone last year - but I couldn't tell you that then.